A family in Kawangware is mourning a tragedy that exposes the deadly rot in Nairobi’s unregulated healthcare underbelly. Amos Isoka, a young man with a bright future, has died at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) after a simple tooth extraction performed by a quack doctor went continuously wrong.

The nightmare began on New Year’s Day when Isoka, suffering from a jaw ache, visited "Life Clinic" in Kawangware. He paid KES 1,000 for an extraction. It was a price that would cost him his life.

"Strangulation from Within"

According to his widow, Vivian Nanjala, Isoka’s condition deteriorated within 24 hours of the procedure. "He started swelling—his neck, his tongue, his chest. He could not speak," she recounted through tears. He was rushed to KNH, where doctors diagnosed him with Ludwig’s angina, a severe, life-threatening skin infection that occurs on the floor of the mouth, often triggered by unsterile dental instruments.

Despite two emergency surgeries and admission to the Critical Care Unit, the infection had spread too far. He succumbed to complications on Wednesday night, leaving behind a devastated young family and a mother he had promised to build a home for.

The Menace of Quackery

The Kenya Dental Association (KDA) has condemned the incident, pointing to a "regulatory vacuum" that allows unlicensed clinics to operate with impunity in informal settlements. The practitioner at Life Clinic, who reportedly dismissed Isoka’s post-op complications, is currently being sought by police.

• The Reality: For millions of Nairobians, licensed dental care is prohibitively expensive. Quacks fill this gap, offering cheap but dangerous services.
• The Justice Question: "We want him arrested," Nanjala demanded. "He took my husband's money and gave him death."

As Isoka’s body awaits burial, his death serves as a grim warning of the risks lurking in the backstreet clinics of the city.